Albino BPs and eyesight?

Hello all. I apologize if this is a silly question but I'm still a bit new to BPs. :P

I was wondering if albino BPs have worse eyesight than snakes with normal/dark eyes. I know this is true of albinos of other species, but have no idea if it applies to snakes or if it even matters. I have an juvenile albino girl who doesn't seem to realize her food is there unless I pretty much get it right in her face. She doesn't seem to want to strike at it if I dangle it like I usually see people do. Most of the time I have to wiggle it or leave it right in front of her nose for her to take it. Most of the time she doesn't even bother constricting either.

I'm thrilled she has a good appetite at least. :D I was just curious if this is related at all to eyesight or if my snake is just a 'lazy' feeder. I haven't fed my new male I picked up in White Plains this weekend to compare.

My albinos never showed any issues. Maybe she has stuck eye caps?

She just shed the other day and it seemed to all come off pretty well, so I don't -think- it's eyecaps. Here are some pics I just took for reference, apologies for cellphone quality. :P

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l...127_105223.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1...127_105239.jpg

Ball pythons in general have pretty bad eyesight and they don't really need it. They wait in burrows to eat the inhabitants, no need for great eyesight

She could just be a little shy. Most of my snakes strike and coil their food within seconds. But I have one that takes at least 20-30 minutes to strike prey because they're really shy and need a few moments to become comfortable.

And ball pythons don't need sight. They can get prey blind and thrive fine. They use their heat pits and sense of smell to track prey. It could be that your food isn't hot enough either and she can't 'see' the feeders heat signature. Try hitting the head portion with a hair dryer before feeding.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Are you feeding live or pre killed? If its pre killed try moving it around more during the zombie dance. Movement helps trigger the feeding response. BPs that are born with no eyes (due to incubation error or genetic defect) usually have no problems with eating and thriving. They use their heat sensing and smelling senses more than eyesight. :)

She's eating F/T rat pups right now. I think I'll try the hairdryer thing next time and see what happens. I've been putting them under a lamp to warm them up but that'd probably be faster. So far she's never actually refused food, it's just taken her a long time to take it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xaila

She's eating F/T rat pups right now. I think I'll try the hairdryer thing next time and see what happens. I've been putting them under a lamp to warm them up but that'd probably be faster. So far she's never actually refused food, it's just taken her a long time to take it.

---

Oh and try to get the rat to a 100 degrees. Which is normal rat body temperature. My albino locks on really fast when the rat is at that temp but any cooler than that it takes a while

How do you thaw your food out?

T.A.W Snakes & Reptiles

I haven't noticed any eye slight issues with my albino. The only thing I have noticed is that she does a good job of pretending like she doesn't see the rat. She stays very calm and it seems like she doesn't even notice the live rat. I've almost got tagged twice now thinking she didn't see the rat so I was reaching in to nudge/move it closer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by B-Dan888

How do you thaw your food out?

T.A.W Snakes & Reptiles

---

I usually leave it in a baggie and let it sit in some warmish water, followed by some time under the heat lamp. I probably haven't been heating them up enough because they usually don't feel much above room temperature (but not cold either). I'm used to thawing mouse pinkies which barely seems to take much time at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Xaila

I usually leave it in a baggie and let it sit in some warmish water, followed by some time under the heat lamp. I probably haven't been heating them up enough because they usually don't feel much above room temperature (but not cold either). I'm used to thawing mouse pinkies which barely seems to take much time at all.

---

The rat should be at a 100 degrees or so. That's the normal body temp of a rat... I think. The rat should feel warm to your hand

My albino boy eats fine and doesn't seem to have any issues as far as eyesight, either when I fed f/t or now, when I feed him live. I think as has already been said it might be a food temperature issue. Make sure the food item is completely thawed through before you feed it and if you warm up the head with a hair dryer it gives them a better "target" to fix on when they go to strike. When I fed f/t, I'd set the rat or rats in a plastic bag and put it in the fridge the night before, kind of like a turkey for Thanksgiving, lol! An hour or so before feeding time, I'd put it in a cup of warm water to thaw it the rest of the way through and change out the water to make sure the rat was warm to the touch when I took it out of the water. Blow dryer on the head, dangle with the zombie dance and voila! Biggest things are to ensure the item is completely thawed and that you don't "cook" it by heating it up too much in too hot of water. Too cold or cooked are neither one a good thing. By the way, your girl is really pretty! Like her pattern and the contrast she has in her coloration. :gj:

One thing I always do when I have a snake that is shy, is throw a sheet over them.

T.A.W Snakes & Reptiles

Does an albino gator still bite?! Lol..... Your BP is fine and very nice albino you got as well.

Hate to go against the grain but I would not be entirely surprised if there were some eyesight issues linked to the gene. In other species it is not out of the ordinary to have poor sight linked to Albinism so I don't think it is a stretch to apply this to reptiles. Of the three visual Albino animals I have, only one displays distinct probability of limited or diminished eyesight. She's always had it. I have two sisters and one shows the characteristic while the other does not. The third appears to be normal or has adapted to life using her other senses. I do not think this changes the quality of life and she's a voracious eater and otherwise healthy.

Regards,

B

I've noticed all red eyed animals have poor eye sight, and ball pythons eat more by heat sensing than by eye sight, so eating isn't an issue albino's have.
Our albino's eat extremely well :)

My experience with albino critters has mostly been with rodents who definitely are more nearsighted than their counterparts, but it doesn't affect their quality of life too badly. I've also known a few humans with albinism who had eye issues. It's good to know that whatever the case may be with the BP it probably won't affect her much.

Haven't tried feeding her yet with a hairdryer-warmed rat but I tried it with the new guy and he had a pretty good feeding response, so we'll see how it goes. Maybe if I heat the head more she won't try and down it butt-first again. :D